Snow, rain continue in Himachal

Shimla, Feb 14 (IANS) Heavy snowfall in the higher reaches and intermittent rain in low and mid hills of Himachal Pradesh continued for the third day Tuesday, forcing authorities to close schools in some areas.

“High-altitude areas of Lahaul and Spiti, Kinnaur, Chamba Kullu and Shimla districts again experienced heavy snow during the past 24 hours,” a spokesperson for the meteorological office here said.

Keylong, the headquarters of Lahaul and Spiti, experienced about 7 cm of snow. It recorded a low of minus 8.4 degrees Celsius.

The picturesque tourist resort of Manali recorded 15 cm of snow. It saw the night temperature dip to minus 1 degree.

The road link to Manali from Kullu town, which snapped due to snow Monday, was restored Tuesday.

However, state capital Shimla, which saw a low of 2.2 degrees, recorded 2.2 cm of snow.

The tourist spots of Kufri in the periphery of Shimla and Narkanda, about 65 km from Shimla experienced good spells of snow. Kalpa in Kinnaur district, which recorded 7.5 cm of snow Monday, recorded the minimum temperature at minus 2.6 degrees, while it was 4.7 degrees in Dharamsala with a rainfall of 10.8 mm.

Saloni in Chamba district experienced the highest rainfall of 41 mm in the state.

Meanwhile, in view of continued chilly conditions, the government has extended the vacation in all schools in Shimla district and Lahaul Valley in Lahaul and Spiti district till Feb 16, an official said.